NFL Week 3 Picks: Forecasting Sunday's Most Pivotal Clashes

It's not time to hit panic mode just yet, but Week 3 of the NFL season could be the time when fans start to get a little worried.

Sure there's 16 games in a season, and a team needs to just be good enough to snatch a wild-card spot. Starting out the year 0-3 or even 1-2 can leave a team with a big mountain to climb to get into the postseason.

Conversely, there will be plenty of fans who will look at the standings and think their team will have a legitimate shot to make a deep playoff run. You've got a couple of teams at the top that look unbeatable, but even they have shown some weaknesses.

Week 3 will go a long way to validating some of those teams looking to emerge as a postseason threat, while simultaneously casting aside the playoff contenders.

Here's the full slate for this week's action, followed by three of the most intriguing games on Sunday.

Week 3 Schedule

Time (ET)

Home Team

Away Team

TV

Winner

Sept. 19

8:25 p.m.

Philadelphia Eagles

Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Network

Eagles

Sept. 22

1 p.m.

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

CBS

Texans

1 p.m.

Carolina Panthers

New York Giants

FOX

Giants

1 p.m.

Washington Redskins

Detroit Lions

FOX

Lions

1 p.m.

Tennessee Titans

San Diego Chargers

CBS

Chargers

1 p.m.

New Orleans Saints

Arizona Cardinals

FOX

Saints

1 p.m.

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

FOX

Patriots

1 p.m.

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

FOX

Bengals

1 p.m.

Dallas Cowboys

St. Louis Rams

FOX

Cowboys

1 p.m.

Minnesota Vikings

Cleveland Browns

CBS

Vikings

4:05 p.m.

Miami Dolphins

Atlanta Falcons

FOX

Falcons

4:25 p.m

New York Jets

Buffalo Bills

CBS

Jets

4:25 p.m

San Francisco 49ers

Indianapolis Colts

CBS

49ers

4:25 p.m

Seattle Seahawks

Jacksonville Jaguars

CBS

Seahawks

8:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Chicago Bears

NBC

Bears

Sept. 23

8:40 p.m.

Denver Broncos

Oakland Raiders

ESPN

Broncos

Schedule via NFL.com

New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

This is an interesting matchup of two teams that had playoff aspirations coming into the season but have started 0-2 instead. That record isn't a death sentence in terms of getting to the postseason, but the deck is stacked against both the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers (h/t ESPN Stats and Info).

NFL teams at 0-1 should show a sense of urgency in Week 2. Since 1990, 12 pct of teams to start a season 0-2 have reached the playoffs.

Of the two, the Panthers have looked much more abject. A tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks is one thing. There's no excuse for letting E.J. Manuel throw for 296 yards and a touchdown and losing to the Buffalo Bills.

Until Carolina can show any sort of consistency, it doesn't deserve any benefit of the doubt. At least the Giants faced off against two tough opponents to somewhat validate their bad record. New York is a good team and will show exactly why on Sunday.

Eli Manning is still the most confounding quarterback in the league, but he looks primed for a big performance. It will be a comfortable win for the Giants.

New York 31, Carolina 20

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Green Bay Packers

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

It's hard to get a good read on the Packers defense. Green Bay gave up a ton of yards to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, but then played great against the Washington Redskins in the first half, only struggling in the second half, when the game had been decided.

The Cincinnati Bengals earned a hard-fought win against the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night. It wasn't a pretty game, but it's a victory.

Picking this game is tough. It will likely come down to how successful each team's passing offense can be. While Aaron Rodgers is clearly the superior quarterback, he may have to deal with a lot more pressure than Andy Dalton. That could be the great equalizer and help Dalton keep pace.

Pressuring Rodgers in the pocket will be the key for the Bengals. They have to get a solid pass rush off the edge and with Geno Atkins in the middle. The defensive line was much better in Week 2, and a continuation of that success is a must in Week 3.

Cincinnati 27, Green Bay 20

Miami Dolphins vs. Atlanta Falcons

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Do not sleep on the Miami Dolphins. They've gone on the road for the first two weeks of the season and picked up victories in both. Mike Wallace even got involved in the offense this past Sunday, catching nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

The Atlanta Falcons did well to recover from their Week 1 loss the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons might have been out-gained in their win against the St. Louis Rams, but they averaged 0.6 more yards per play. Their offense is looking very good at the moment.

However, Steven Jackson is going to be out for possibly two to four weeks (h/t NFL.com's Ian Rapoport).